


Panthers and Tieflings and Sorceresses (Oh My!)

by ErisDarkmoon



Category: Neverwinter Nights
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 16:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30074796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisDarkmoon/pseuds/ErisDarkmoon
Summary: Generally short scenes relating to the romance between Valen and my sorceress, Raisa.  Some retellings of existing scenes and some added/missing scenes.Rating is more to err on the side of caution than due to content.
Relationships: Valen Shadowbreath/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Underdark: Lith My’athar & Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Valen was my first videogame boyfriend and visiting with him again while playing the Enhanced Edition has been fantastic! For some reason, this playthrough captured my imagination before I finished it. Some changes from the game, but generally follows canon events. Some dialogue borrowed from the toolset (edited for brevity in some cases) and obviously not mine. 😊

A crack of displaced air was all that heralded the abrupt arrival of the strangers into the temple in Lith My’athar. It was a good thing that the guards were alert because Valen had been frozen in place by shock at his first sight of the human woman, fair skinned and dark haired. 

His inner demon stirred, _wanting_ – he fought to bring it back under control and focused back on the conversation in time to hear Nathyrra saying the stranger had been placed under a geas by Halaster. He felt an odd pang that she had not joined their cause of her own free will and frowned. 

That frown was still on his face when the petite woman approached him with a tentative smile. Even disheveled and dirty, the signs of a recent battle clear on her robes, her face pale and eyes wide with shock, she was remarkably pretty. In obvious agreement, the demon tried to reach for her again and he strangled it back. As a result, Valen was perhaps a bit more abrupt than even his normally blunt manner. 

“The Seer believes you are our prophetical savior. I, however, do not believe in prophecies.” He eyed her, taking in quality mage robes and a staff that had the look of an heirloom. He tried not to notice her figure. “Still, you are obviously capable in your own right. And we need all the help we can get if we are to win this war. So, I'm willing to take a chance.”

“We’re all on the same side here.” Her voice was soft, but underlaid with tension.

“Yes, we are. Which is why I'm willing to help you, despite the fact that I know nothing about you. Hopefully, you'll prove that the Seer's faith in you is justified.”

“And how am I supposed to prove myself?” Her frustration was clear, even though her voice remained low.

Ordinarily, he would sympathize, having had to prove himself to the Seer’s people, but he felt so off-balance that the snarky reply left his lips before he could censor it. “By stopping the Valsharess, of course.”

Her eyes flashed and her lips tightened, clearly biting back her own snappy response, so he found himself taking pity and offering his help by suggesting a trip to the islands. The conversation, focused as it was on the practical, was easier, if still stilted.

It was a relief when Nathyrra appeared to lead the mage away to bathe and rest.

It was only once she was gone, and he could relax his hold on the demon, that Valen realized he hadn’t caught her name.

\---

They were preparing to leave Lith My’athar by boat, Valen taking a last inventory of his own gear, when Nathyrra approached him. She stared at him long enough that he glanced back over his shoulder with a raised brow. “Yes?”

“Her name is Raisa.”

Valen blinked, trying to hide the fact that her name resonated in his mind like a bell. “And?”

“You didn’t know. I thought as much.” Nathyrra shook her head in resignation. “She’s a sorceress, favors a black panther familiar. I watched her in Undermountain. She fights well.”

“I certainly hope so.” But he filed away the information to factor into his battlefield strategies.

“You can believe in the Seer’s visions, Valen.”

“Perhaps, but you don’t trust our _Savior_ any more than I do.” With that, he shouldered his pack and headed toward the docks, unsurprised to see the little sorceress there, looking decidedly cleaner than the evening before, with the promised panther by her side.

He was surprised when Raisa - her name still shimmered inside his mind unnervingly - drew him aside.

“Before we head into danger,” she pinned him with a serious look and he was struck by the vibrant blue-violet color of her eyes, “we need to talk. I get the feeling you don’t like me.”

“Untrue,” Valen responded softly. Part of him liked her very much and even the part of him that waited for a knife in the back _wanted_ to like her. “I do not even know you, so I can hardly dislike you.”

“We can fix that… and I can also get to know you.” She smiled, bright and slightly malicious, before adding, “Figure out if _I_ can trust _you_.” 

His demon appreciated her sharp edge and Valen wasn’t quite prepared for the way it lunged for her again, so his stare was hard as he responded, “I'm a warrior, a soldier. You would be hard pressed to find one more skilled with the blade then I am. And, like the Seer, I stand against the Valsharess.”

Her mouth compressed into a thin line (an expression which did not appear common for her, despite his seeing it twice in as many conversations) and her gaze flicked to his flail before she nodded. “A man of action. Very well, then… let us depart and see if my actions can win you over.”


	2. Underdark: On a boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chat on the boat...

“Why didn’t you ask Nathyrra to join you?” Valen had been silent thus far on the boat and his voice nearly made Raisa jump.

“This expedition to the islands was your idea.” She shrugged. It was an answer, but not the whole answer.

When he just continued to give her a level stare, recognizing her evasion, she sighed.

“I didn’t ask her to come because she doesn’t trust me.”

Valen’s brows rose.

“I know, neither do you.” Raisa frowned and sought for a way to explain. “I’m used to working with those whom I can trust, and who trust me. Nathyrra would be perfectly pleasant, perhaps even friendly, but behind that mask, I would never know if the tide was turning in my favor or against. I suspect she would keep the same smile on her face even as she tried to slit my throat.”

His amused snort confirmed her assessment of Nathyrra… and her likely skill set.

“You, on the other hand, have been brutally honest about your lack of trust. I can respect that.” She hesitated, before continuing, “And it’s a known quantity that I can plan around, hopefully minimizing surprises later.”

Valen looked at her in surprise and she could practically see him reassessing his impression of her. “I will admit, I did not expect such tactical thinking, my lady.”

The respectful address felt a bit mocking, but at the same time, Raisa knew it was progress. But she wasn’t going to fall into the trap of providing her resume to win him over. “A mage who prefers to adventure in small parties must think ahead or you end up out of spells when you need them most.”

Valen nodded slowly, his expression considering, and returned to his contemplation of the river.

Raisa was glad that he hadn’t pushed her any further because she had one last, and far from logical, reason she had asked him to come along… the instant, physical attraction that pulled at her from the moment she had laid eyes on him. It might be ill-advised, especially given his distrust, but she wanted to be in his company.


	3. Underdark: Isle of the Maker

They were on the Isle of the Maker and Raisa had insisted they venture into the facility despite Valen’s misgivings. She hadn’t needed his condescending advice to know golems could be difficult fights, so she had opted to potentially overbuff with protective spells. It turned out to be completely unnecessary.

Valen sprang into action on the first golem and took it down in two swipes of his wicked flail. The other two golems in the room fell equally quickly.

He was magnificent in battle, stealing her breath. He was graceful power, surprising speed and agility, all accented by the carefully calculated swings of his massive flail. Dear gods, the man should come with a warning for any of the female persuasion.

She barely recovered enough to cast a single offensive spell to help finish off the final golem in the room.

Valen raised an eyebrow, “A bit slow, are we?”

She hoped the buffing spells disguised her blush. “I didn’t know it was a race. Still, your… efficiency will help with budgeting my spells.”

He snorted, but she swore she saw a hint of a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my playthrough, I had given Valen an upgraded flail and added some gear and he cut through the golems like butter... it was amazing enough that I found myself cheering him on and forgetting to help. Oops. ;)


	4. Underdark: The Strange Town & Talona’s Challenge

Valen was furious. 

He wanted to kill the fallen avariel priest even though he knew it was the enchantment of the broken mirror that caused the man’s evil. Raisa, however, had been going to great lengths to avoid killing any of the avariel and he could respect her intentions.

But seeing her so ill, looking like the walking dead, infuriated both him and his demon, as did the pleased smirk on the face of the priest. By the Abyss, her strength of will was impressive, to continue to fight as her condition worsened. 

The only thing that saved the priest’s life was that he kept his word, handing over both mirror shard and cure.

Raisa immediately used the cure, and the transformation was instant. However, Valen saw how pale she remained and recognized the fine tremor in her hand that showed, cure or not, that she was at the end of her resources. He stepped forward and took her arm in a courtly manner, making a show of escorting her from the temple. Better to risk drow and driders than to spend another moment in that tainted place.

As soon as they were outside, he steered her rapidly to a sheltered alcove around the side of the temple. He released her only when he was certain the wall at her back would keep her upright and quickly spread out a bed roll. “Sit, my lady.”

She sank to the blankets without a word and her familiar stretched out in a guardian position beside her. Valen pressed a water skin on her and she drank deeply. 

“Go ahead and sleep, my lady. After that… challenge,” Valen’s lip curled to call it anything but a form of torture, “you clearly need it.”

“Not safe here?” 

“I’ll keep watch, it will be safe enough. Rest.”

And if his voice was gentle, there was no one else to notice.


	5. Underdark: Missteps

“Did I not warn you that the Underdark was a dangerous place?” Valen scolded as he draped his soaking cloak over a rock. “Did I not warn you to watch your step?”

“I didn’t think you meant _literally_!” Raisa snapped back, removing her own soaked cloak. 

Her familiar grumbled with irritation, since the panther hated being wet, and she spun to glare. “You, too? Fine, there you go!”

With an irritated flick of her hand, she lit a fire in the pit left by a former inhabitant of the cave. The panther immediately settled close by the fire.

“And be grateful for small favors. It washed off the remains of those gelatinous cubes.”

Valen snorted as he squeezed water out of his hair and then allowed it to hang loose to dry faster. “Which we could have avoided had you not fallen into the sinkhole.”

Since he wasn’t looking her way, Raisa unbuttoned her robe and slipped out of the sodden weight of enchanted silk, spreading it out as neatly as she could to dry. “I seem to recall not being alone in that fall.”

“Which should teach me to leave you to your own folly in future.”

The panther rumbled agreement with Valen’s sentiment, which Raisa chose to ignore. 

The shift she wore was also soaked and nearly sheer, so she started digging in her pack for a blanket. She straightened to find Valen had turned and was staring at her, his eyes heated. Only once he realized she had noticed did he blush up to the tips of his ears and look away. 

Raisa’s mouth ran away from her before her brain engaged. “Enjoy the view?”

Valen nearly choked and his blush deepened to match the color of his hair.

She couldn’t help herself and added with a throaty purr, “Feel free to remove your armor and return the favor.” 

Her peal of laughter at his retreat was delighted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this was a missed opportunity for your henchmen to give you crap.


	6. Underdark: Traps

Valen found himself observing the little sorceress a great deal as they trudged through the Underdark. He could try to claim he still watched her so closely out of mistrust, but it would be a lie. 

If he were being totally honest, it wasn’t that he mistrusted her so much as himself. The instant attraction and his demon’s equal desire to possess her were disconcerting and he wasn’t sure what would happen if he relaxed his guard. He had already blatantly ogled her (and the image of her in the soaked shift made reappearances in his dreams) even knowing it was inappropriate.

He had upgraded his initial impression of pretty to beautiful – and that was mostly due to the fire of her personality and the grace of her movement. He blamed that for why he kept looking at her even when he knew shouldn’t.

Raisa was a pleasure to watch. 

Her hips swayed gently as she walked ahead of him. (He might grumble about wanting to lead or that she didn’t know where she was going, but it was only to cover his staring.) The low lights from her staff gleamed against her dark hair. The stuff was a glossy blue-black when there was light enough and it looked soft (something he wanted to test). She kept it pulled over her left shoulder, revealing the clean line of her throat (which both he and his demon wanted to taste).

He shook his head to clear those thoughts… pointless, frustrating, enjoyable thoughts. 

And was brought abruptly back to reality by the flicker in his peripheral vision, only visible because he had moved his head. Reacting on instinct, he caught Raisa around the waist and swung her clear of the trap in a casual display of strength, shielding her body behind his. Even as debris pinged harmlessly off the backplate of his armor, he was more interested in how her breath caught at his touch, how easily his large hands spanned her narrow waist, the flush that rose on her cheeks.

Raisa took a step away, not quite meeting his eye. “Ah, thank you.”

Valen couldn’t stop the smirk at having managed to fluster her for once. “Any time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my experiment with playing how the crazy high charisma score of my sorceress would work in reality. I know part of it is supposed to be physical attractiveness, but I figured the points you add while leveling probably would express in different ways.


	7. Underdark: Post Beholders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the Beholder caverns were a nightmare for me...

It took all Valen had not to laugh. 

Raisa sat in camp, muttering darkly to her familiar about how much she hated beholders and their tunnels. Given the number of times that they had stripped her buffing spells, negated or countered her offensive ones, and even petrified her, and then the dead magic zone where she hadn’t been able to cast any spells at all, he knew her pride was smarting a bit.

He didn’t care for them either, but as his ability had nothing to do with magic and his demonic blood allowed him to shrug off many of their rays, he had fared much better. 

“Your form with the staff is really quite good.” Valen offered the sop, since he had been pleasantly surprised to find she knew how to use the thing as a weapon and not just a way a store spells.

He would have sworn Raisa’s eyes flashed with more than the firelight. “Thanks, awfully.”

“And you were impressive in the final fight against the eye tyrant. Hitting the hive mother with so many spells at once…” Valen disliked Time Stop spells when they were used by his enemies but had to admit that when the mage was on your side, they were an asset. “What spell was that beam of light?”

Her posture softened when she realized he was sincere and not mocking her. “A little something I’ve been thinking through. Worked rather well.”

He blinked as he realized how much stronger she had grown even in her relatively short time in the Underdark, if she created that spell herself. “Impressive. I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Raisa smirked at him, “Why, General Shadowbreath, I bet you never thought you’d end up saying that to me.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Get your rest, my lady, and show me if you can repeat the performance tomorrow or if it was a fluke.”


	8. Cania: Hellbreath Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because we all need a bit more deliciously forceful Valen.

Raisa’s head spun as Valen bundled her out of the common room of the tavern and into the tiny room they had rented. Her voice came out almost in a squeak, “Wha-?!”

The only response was a growl as he caged her body against the wall with his own, one arm by her head and the other near her waist. He radiated heat that she could feel across the scant space that separated them. Just as she could feel the rage vibrating in every tense line of his body. Raisa forced herself to relax and watched his posture relax in turn. “Valen?”

He hung his head, refusing to look at her. “Just… give me a moment.”

She brought up one hand slowly and cupped his cheek. He felt burning hot. 

“You don’t want to touch me right now.” He glanced up and his eyes were red rimmed instead of their normal bright blue.

“I trust you.” And it was the truth. Valen had been clear that being in the Hells would stir up his demon blood, but she knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t hurt her.

His laugh was short and bitter. “You shouldn’t. That other tiefling made a pass at you and my brain shut off. I could have hurt you, and for what? Jealousy? Stupidity?!”

“Will I scare you off if I admit that I like it?” Raisa smiled at his surprise and eased up enough to brush a chaste kiss across his lips and murmur, “I love you. Dark or light or somewhere in between, I’m still yours.”

As if her words snapped his leash, Valen was suddenly kissing her, wild and passionate and possessive and who cared about the bite of his armor when his weight pressed fully up against her and she could _feel_ him, feel his need for her. It was everything she had dreamed kissing him could be like and everything she hadn’t realized she needed from him. Then he abruptly pulled away, retreating to the opposite side of the room. “No. Not here, not like this. I will not take you against a wall in the Hells.”

‘Not when I can’t trust myself,’ was unspoken, but still vividly clear.

Raisa barely contained a whine of protest and let her head drop back against the wall. One kiss – but oh, what a kiss! - and she had been ready to let him take her anyway, anywhere he pleased, and she would have been a willing and eager participant. They both knew it.

“Promise me one thing?”

“Anything.” Valen’s voice was gruff with the force of everything he was holding back, but he turned to look at her.

“Someday, you _will_ take me up against a wall.” 

For a heartbeat he stared at her, as if he couldn’t process her words, then a wicked grin slowly grew on his face. “I am yours to command.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely inspired by some of the Valen/OC fics I've been reading, such as That Damn Tail, In a Strange Land, and Winds of Change. Check them out!


End file.
